Today is Monday Dec. 31st, 2012 and I thought it would be nice to reflect on the past couple of months and some of the highlights for 2012. I’ve had a few hardships this year but without them I wouldn’t appreciate all of the good things that I often take for granted. Namely my family, my friends, my health, etc.

All in all it was a great year. You know the saying, When one door closes another opens.” I have found that to be remarkably true my entire life.

This year I knocked out several more states making 40 that I have performed in now. My goal is to one day do all 50. I’m in the homestretch now and feel it is easily obtainable. Once I put my mind to something it typically gets done. It’s funny how it always takes much longer than I planned though.

Luckily the world didn’t end on 12-21-12 but all of the hoopla helped me to sell around 9000 of my Doomsday Deck printed by the United States Playing Card Company. One of the highlights this year was touring the USPCC facility.

Seeing Ireland for the first time this year was amazing. I also fell in love with the Isle of Man. It was great seeing family and friends in England this year. I was happy that my cousins from England, Russell & Paula, were able to come and stay with us at our home here in Texas as well.

This is a really tough business to keep afloat but I’ve managed to do so for 26 years now. I feel so lucky, in a down economy, to be doing what I love for a living. I think the world will always need entertainers, like myself, to help them escape their own reality for a short while. There is nothing like live entertainment. Even more special is live entertainment done up close and personal. I’m proud to be a wonder-worker and part of this clandestine art. I’m just like everyone else in that I put my pants on one leg at a time. The difference is, once my pants are on, I make magic happen! 🙂

November was a fun month. The first Saturday I performed at a private event at a hotel where the power was off for the first hour of my performance. I came prepared and and managed to entertain my audience regardless. Later I flew to Salt Lake City, UT and stayed at a mansion at the foot of a mountain and lectured to an enthusiastic group. My host was a very inspiring man. See a picture of his home to the right.

Once home I performed for a billionaire and entertained his staff and friends. The month continued with several more shows and my wife and I began renovations on our home. First I sold all of my office furniture and we had the carpet pulled up in the front part of the house so the concrete could be stained. We hated it! So while the house was disarray we scrambled to find a solution and found a flooring company to put in some nice hard wood floors in all of the rooms downstairs that were once carpeted. I have bad allergies so hopefully this well help with that.

We also had many of the rooms painted. I redesigned my entire office. I spent hours with a friend assembling IKEA furniture. Plus Santa was good to me and I have lots of cool new electronic gadgets to play with in our media room. This is ideal since we love to entertain and watch movies.

In December we finished up the remodel and I did 18 shows. Plus we attended many family and friend get-togethers for our Christmas celebration. I am also playing in more Texas Hold’em home games these days and enjoying them. Tonight I have two parties for New Year’s Eve. The first one is a private event at a home in Heath, TX near my parents and the last one of the night and year is at a hookah/belly-dancing club. That should be fun!

It’s taken longer than planned but I am diligently working on Bamboozlers Three. See a picture of one of the effects called Ten Forks on the right. Its ten forks balanced on one toothpick with the aid of two corks and three other toothpicks. My illustrator has already begun submitting his drawings and I am trying to wrap up the writing so I can begin the editing and layout. My DVDs make more money but there is just something special about creating this book series. It is truly a labor of love. Plus I have some other exciting projects that I hope to finalize in 2013.

I wish a healthy and prosperous New Year to all of my readers, family, friends and fans. And may you achieve all of your heart’s desires except for one. This way you’ll always have something to strive for.

New Year’s day I am looking forward to having lunch with some friends as has become tradition. Plus I look forward to all of the exciting things that 2013 has to throw at me. I have made new friendships and I look forward to seeing those blossom. My life is never boring.

On Sunday October 7th I left home for a tour. I drove onto Amarillo, TX and stayed there for the night. The next night I lectured for a great group in Albuquerque, NM. The next night I lectured for a small but kind group in Tempe, AZ. The next few nights I stayed with my friend Chris in Las Vegas, NV. Chris owns and operates MagicSmith who make some very cool magical gadgets. I had fun hanging with Chris and just relaxing. One night we took in the club atop the Mandalay Bay casino and the place was jumping. I think we ate dinner about 2am that morning with the rest of his crew.

The next couple of nights were spent in Montrose, CA with some friends. I stayed with the Fleischers (Jeff, Susan and Molly) who are always fun to hang out with. Jeff was a mentor to me when I first began doing magic professionally. This time I had fun helping his daughter Molly with some art projects. I helped her with song-writing, a photography project, and we made a video of her dancing to Katy Perry’s song “Firework”. Jeff and I visited the Castle one night.

Sunday Oct. 14th I went to the Castle to attend Harry Anderson‘s lecture / 60th birthday party. Harry was kind enough to save me a seat near the front. Harry, (yes the guy from Cheers and Night Court) was huge inspiration to me as a young magician. Sitting there listening to his stories is something that I will never forget.

The next night I checked into an apartment two minutes walk from the Castle and I began my week-long stint there. This was my fifth time performing at the Castle since 2001. There is no other place in the world like the Castle. It’s an exclusive club that only a few can get in to and for a magician it is like working Carnegie Hall. I worked the Close-Up Gallery and did 26 shows that week. Everything went extremely well that week. One night 13 friends came to see me but only a few were able to get in and see my show, so I ran up in between shows to show them something during dinner (Seen on the left).

The feedback was all positive while at the Castle and personally I thought it all went great which is good since I am my own worst critic. I began each set with a new opener where I blow up a balloon, pop it, and produce a bottle of wine. I gave away 26 bottles of wine that week. Part of my phenomenal experience was due to the wise, funny and personable talent coordinator Jack Goldfinger. I feel like Jack and I became friends over my week there.

The Castle is always fun but this time it felt extra special. I rubbed elbows and spoke to many celebrities like Neil Patick Harris– the current president of the Academy of Magical Arts, Jeff Goldblum and others. I even did Katy Perry’s private birthday party. I did a special trick for Katy and afterwards she hugged me and grabbed my face and said, “Where are you from?” I think she liked my southern drawl. If you look at the picture on the left she is sitting next to her current boyfriend John Mayer. Both were nice and made up for Halloween like the rest of her guests. It was also cool to be working along side some of my favorite magicians David Regal, Brian Gillis and Johnny Ace Palmer.

Sunday Oct. 21st I lectured at the Castle for the second time. Once again the feedback was over the top. My friend Brian Gillis was there and he said it was great and that he was inspired. Another magician, whom I hold in high regard, Paul Green said he wouldn’t be surprised if I got the “Lecturer of the Year Award” there. We shall see.

During my week in Hollywood, CA. I was also lucky enough to get a tour of Johnny Gaughan’s warehouse. Johnny is THE top illusion builder in the world. He designed things for Copperfield, Burton, for movies and pop stars. He was working on a floating piano illusion for Justin Bieber while I was there. The coolest thing was seeing his private automaton collection. His collection is the largest in the world. Click here to see what some of these things can do.

After Hollywood I made my way back to Las Vegas. Along the way I stopped long enough to take some pictures of the Hoover Dam. It was impressive. Once in Vegas I stopped at the Gambler’s General Store and at the home of Pawn Stars. The pawn shop is a big tourist trap and none of the guys or the rest of the shop that you see on TV is accessible. There’s very little reality with reality television these days.

That night I lectured in Vegas and did very well. Another surreal moment for me was having the world-famous magician Jeff McBride sit in the front row. Jeff is very cool. The whole time he was giving me the thumbs up and he purchased practically all of my items afterward. In my mind that is a huge seal of approval.

After that I drove back home as quick as I could. I drove 3400 miles roundtrip. I have a lot of fond memories from my stops in NM, AZ, NV and CA and my drive across these states. It was often breathtaking driving across places like Sedona in AZ or the Mojave Desert in NV. Once home I did several more shows and actually worked the night of Halloween which is rare for me.

I found another great review online (seen below) for my effect Collateral. My third batch of Doomsday decks has almost sold out. The fourth issue of VANISH magic magazine is out which showcases my column Bamboozlers and a great review of my effect Sweet. November promises to be equally busy for me. I am looking forward to my holiday season shows and some hang time with my family and friends. Life is good.

I began August by doing some private parties and preparing for a small lecture tour. A super great guy, and now friend, named Mark Jarvis helped me set up this mini tour. I flew into Ohio and then drove onto Youngstown to give my first lecture in this state. From there I went onto Grand Rapids, MI and then back to OH to perform in Cleveland, then back to MI to perform in Detroit and then back to OH to perform in Cincinnati at Haine’s House of Cards. I had a blast on this tour.

While in Detroit I stopped at Hitsville U.S.A. to tour the home of Motown, which was a awesome standing on the same floors as the Temptations, the Supremes, the Jackson Five, etc.. I also made a special jaunt to Erlanger, KY where I received a special guided tour of the United States Playing Card Co.’s facility. They don’t normally give tours, and when they do you have to sign a confidentiality agreement. They are big on secrecy and security because they manufacture playing cards for most of the casinos around the world. They made an exception in my case since I ordered around 10,000 decks of cards from them this year!

Once back home I had dinner with many good friends over various nights. However, I also attended the funeral of my great aunt Jo. She was a sweet-hearted lady and had the best laugh. I loved the way she said my name. She would smile as she said, “Jiiimmmm.” but without saying the words “You must be joking.”- it was somehow implied. I’ll miss her.

I performed for many great clients in August. Some not so rich, and some who are uber rich. At one show I rubbed the belly of a million dollar Buddha statue in my client’s private residence. Another night some friend’s and I attended a Murder Mystery Dinner and for some reason I was called out as a prime suspect.

Labor Day weekend I attended the Texas Assoc. of Magicians convention in Houston put on by my friend Danny Garcia and his gang. I shared a room with my creative friend Chris Smith from Las Vegas. The talent at the TAOM was phenomenal. I can’t wait for next year’s convention in Dallas.

I began shipping out my new product called HYDRO which allows someone to borrow and full bottle, turn it upside down, and suspend the liquid.The next weekend I flew to Colorado to perform and lecture at the Magic in the Rockies convention. It was asmaller convention but I think I enjoyed it even more so. There was much more hang time which I loved spending with Geoff Williams, Garrett Thomas, Doc Eason, Dirk Losander, Hannibal, Eric Mead, Armando Lucero, Dan Fleshman, Kozmo, Karl Hein, etc. My lecture there is one I’ll never forget because there was a lot of back and forth “one-liners and comebacks” with the audience which made it a highlight for me and for many of the attendees who attested to that afterwards.

I performed a few more private gigs here and there and then picked up my cousins Russell and Paula (seen right) from the airport that flew in from England. They stayed with us for about two weeks. We did just about as much as we could do in the time that we had together.

Once home we visited a few malls, had a cookout, frequented Goody Goody a few times, took in the JFK museum, visited Southfork Ranch, watched some movies, and dined at many restaurants. Now that they’re gone I need to lose a few pounds.

Now I’m preparing for a tour across the US where I’ll perform/lecture in New Mexico, Arizona, Las Vegas, California and play the Magic Castle in Hollywood for a week. Life is good!

It is hot in Texas! Lately it has been around 100 degrees or more every day. The past two months have been slower with shows which has allowed me to visit with many of my friends and family. Recently, I had a fun gig for my friend and neighbor Rev. James Hutchins where I performed for his 50th surprise birthday party. His friends and family were a hoot to perform for.

Another fun gig took me to Houston to see my good friend Natalie Ingram and entertain her friend Connie for her birthday. Natalie, Connie, the whole group were fun to perform for. I made a wine bottle appear, someone’s $20 bill re-appeared in a chocolate covered fortune cookie, and I did a mind-reading trick on someone that left them beet red in the face. Let’s just say it was complicated!

I’ve hung out with my sister Chelsye, had lunch and dinner with neighbors, got together with clients, and spent one weekend with my cousins Rodger & Alex who are amazing athletes. I’ve been playing lots of Texas Hold’em which I’m quite decent at. I try not to tell strangers that I am a magician when playing cards with them; because if I win they think I’m cheating and if I lose they think I’m a bad magician.

One Saturday was spent performing various effects from my books and DVDs at Main Street Magic in McKinney. There was a good turn-out and I received lots of compliments throughout the day. I introduced the owners of Main St. Magic to the world of magic when I had my shop in Frisco from 2003-2006. I’m happy to see that they are carrying that torch and keeping it burning brighter than what I had done. Their place is truly unique and I recommend it highly to anyone with an interest in magic.

Although it’s slower than I would like, I have stayed plenty busy with work and begun many projects. I still average at least a few shows each week in the summer. Plus, I’ve found myself doing a lot more stand-up comedy magic than I have in the past. I really enjoy it. I have also been diligent about working on Bamboozlers Three. My friend and artist, Ben Vincent, is in the beginning stages of illustrating the book now.

My wife and I celebrated 20 years married in May so to celebrate I planned a week long stay in Washington, D.C.. We have always wanted to see our nation’s capitol. It was amazing! Every American should see it at least once in their lifetime. Plus, all of the attractions are free!

We also stayed in a very nice hotel called the Donovan House. It was chic and modern. Many attractions were walking distance, but since it was hotter there than it was in Texas we took a cab most of the time. Luckily since DC is only a 4 mile radius it’s only $10 in a cab to go anywhere in town. We also enjoyed the happy hour for hotel guests from 5-6pm each day where we were treated to free sushi and wine or sangria. Check me out the tiger-striped robe that was furnished in our closet in the pic to the left.

Magic-wise, I have been writing instructions and commissioning pieces and parts made for a new trick I’d like to market. I reprinted my second book Bamboozlers: Volume One. Both batches of my black and white Doomsday decks have sold out! My new Blood Red Doomsday Decks are due in soon. I sat on a panel of four magicians for the Dallas Magic Club where we were asked about our restaurant magic experiences. I am preparing for a small tour that I’ll do in August. My friend Paul Romhany from New Zealand has just published a book full of magician’s experiences, tips and stories called The Real Deal and mine is the last story in the book. Finally, my friends Dal & Cinde Sanders are having their summer magic splash at their home on Sunday where I’ll see many of my entertainer friends. I look forward to seeing everyone and congratulating my friend Dal for becoming the new president of the Society of American Magicians.

I always like this time of year. People start having events outside again and things pick up. I did several gigs in April and one took me to a fundraiser at a race track in Caddo Mills. At one gig, I forgot to bring my magic case, and I improvised a show with a deck of cards, some rubberbands and some coins I had in my glove box. I razzle-dazzled 30 people for two hours with magic, jokes and stories and had a blast. I earned my money that night and appreciated my big tip which confirmed I work just as well under pressure.

I had a nice birthday dinner with family at Four Winds and witnessed my nephew Lane turn sixteen and hop into his new ride which is a decked out El Camino. Following him home down the highway we watched in horror as he accidentally threw the car into reverse while doing about 60mph. Actually I think my sister Jodi did it, who was riding with him. Luckily no one was hurt and we all had a good laugh about it later.

On my actual birthday, the 25th of April, I flew out of DFW for London to catch my connection to Ireland. I flew onto Cork and took in as much of the city as I could before the start of the magic convention titled Magic Uncorked. Myself, John Lenahan, Luke Jermay, Helder Guimaraes, Laurent Baretta, Aonghus McNally, Quentin Reynolds and Paul Gordon were the featured acts. Everyone was great. Before the convention some of the locals took me to the top of Blarney Castle to kiss the blarney stone, which apparently gives one the gift of gab. I loved the after hour sessions with many of the attendees. I made some new friends and learned some new routines. See a news promo with me about the Cork seen below.

Then I went onto Dublin with my new friend named Steve. One day I did the bus tour and took in sites like Christ Church (which was wonderful), the downtown area, stopped at Trinity College (attended by Jonathan Swift, Oscar Wilde, Bram Stoker, etc.) and I toured the Guinness Factory where I enjoyed the history and my pint on the 7th floor glass observation bar. That night I performed for the Dublin magicians.

Then I went onto the Isle of Man the next day. What a beautiful place! I toured a small town named Cregneash where they re-enact days of old. It’s the same town where they filmed Waking Ned Devine. Me and my host toured a working farm where I learned all about fleecing and also saw the famous manx cat and manx sheep. That night I lectured for the young magician’s club. Click here to read about it. The kids were great and treated me like a rock star mainly because they had seen me on many episodes of Scam School. After the lecture I walked the coastline that night and hunted down some of their famous ice cream which was delicious. I hope to make it back to the Isle of Man one day. Perhaps I could come back for their famous TT race which is the largest motorcycle race in the world!

From IOM I made my way onto Liverpool to see my friend Richie Smith. Richie is a great magician who is writing his auto-biography now. I can’t wait to read it. He’s a wonderful storyteller. That night he took me to the Liverpool magician’s club meeting and I surprised them with a mini-performance. The guys in Liverpool are great and always make me feel at home.

Then I went onto to Leeds to see family who always take great care of me. Since 2008 I have kept in touch the best I can and I’m happy to see that relationship blossom. Then I made my way onto Derby to stay with my friends The Smiths. That night we had a nice dinner and surprised one of my young fans by showing up at his home where I gave him a few “Diamond Jim” items. The young man was very excited but I was more thrilled to be given the chance to help put a smile on his face. My friend Graeme help set it up and he has a huge heart and a wonderful mind. Graeme creates all sorts of wonderful electronic magic and he could probably make a living at it if he ever chose to do so. His family and dog Maggie are always fun to hang out with.

From Derby I went onto Chelmsford, more specifically Great Waltham, to see my cousin Adrian, his wife Laura, their new baby Harriet, and Laura’s parents Graham and Jeneen. I absolutely love this little town. My cousin Adrian and I took in the new Avengers movie in 3-D and toured Chelmsford and a nearby castle. We ate well and one night I made them my famous jalapeno-cucumber margaritas. Laura is a great cook and I appreciated meeting Harriet for the first time.

The tour was productive, but the 16 days I was gone, felt more like two months. I can now proudly say that I have performed in 22 countries. While I was away the new Vanish Magazine launched. The second issue just released recently and has an outstanding review of my DVD Collateral on page 43. The magazine will feature my Bamboozlers column each month (Vol. 1- pgs. 29-30, Vol. 2- pg. 33). Paul Romhany, who put it together, has done an excellent job. It’s hard to believe it is a free magazine for download.

More Scam School episodes aired while I was abroad which make a total of five that I participated in. The host Brian Brushwood says they are all getting great feedback. See one of the videos on the right where I teach you a sneaky way to get a girl’s phone number in a bar under the guise of doing a mathematical magic trick. The video seen above has been featured on the Discovery Channel’s homepage for two weeks now.

Also, on the day of my flight to Ireland, my birthday, Woot.com featured my Doomsday Deck on their site during what’s called a woot-off. See the sale page and blog here. During the woot-off they sold 2000 of my decks in about half an hour. That was a good day for me!

But my biggest accomplishment happened on May 23rd. That day marked 20 years of my wife Kathy and I being married. See our wedding pic on the right. We’ve actually been together for 24 years. To celebrate we dined at our favorite steak house in Dallas named Pappas Bros. It’s hard to believe that much time has flown by. I love her very much and I am a lucky man. Later this year we will take a trip to celebrate.

This has been a very productive month. Three of the Scam School episodes that I filmed in California last month are airing this month. See one of them below. According to the host Brian Brushwood they have been receiving rave reviews. Muggles beware; I do teach how some tricks are done!

I can now proudly say that I have performed in 38 of the 50 states. See the map on the left. I made a jaunt over to New England and performed in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maine, New Jersey, Vermont and Massachusetts. I flew in and out of Hartford, CT and drove my rental car over 2000 miles. I had a blast and made many new friends.

While in MA I took some time to see Salem. It’s still hard to believe the witch trials happened there. I toured the Witch Museum and learned a lot about the hysteria back then. However horrible they were, the Salem witch trials here are dwarfed by the thousands that were killed in Europe. I was hesitant to perform any magic in Salem seeing how people have a history of over-reacting there. 🙂

I’ve kept busy with shows, shipping products, creating new products, bookings, etc. My Doomsday decks are doing great. The deluxe version with a silver gilt edge sold out in two weeks. The regular version is practically sold out. Since the demand is high, I have more on the way with a “red seal” and a new finish.

Paul Romhany has just released his new e-magazine for magicians called VANISH. Paul is a very clever entertainer, creator and cruise ship magician that performs as Charlie Chaplin. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Paul a couple times in places like New Zealand and British Columbia. I was flattered when he asked me to be a regular contributor to his new magazine that he says will eventually rival all the others. Readers can look forward to my Bamboozlers column that will feature simple tricks, bar bets, jokes and puzzles that can be done impromptu.

Plus, I’m happy to announce that my instructional magic DVD Collateral is still getting great reviews. The two English reviewers seen below, Craig Petty and David Penn, have many good things to say about me and my ring and string routine.

This month has gone by in a flash! I’ve done lots of private parties. Check out the picture on the right from a wonderful wedding I did for some great folks. I flew to San Francisco to film several episodes of Scam School with my buddy Brian Brushwood for Revision3 and these will air over the next few months. I lectured in San Francisco while there to a full house for Joe Pon’s magic shop Misdirections and had a great time with everyone there. I played poker with some friends once back home. Plus, I helped my friend Mitch with his upcoming business Toys2u.com that should go live any day now.

I attended the lecture of Frances Willard, daughter of Willard the Wizard, and one half of the mental duo Falkenstein & Willard. Frances Willard is a wonderful lady who regaled us with some great stories. I had lunch with Dave Magee, Johnny Thompson, and several other well known card guys. I did a video interview for my friend James Munton and his magic forum “The Magic Bistro” which can be seen by members only unfortunately.

However, the thing that I am most excited about is the release of my new Doomsday Deck. It is getting great reviews. On Tuesday, February 21st (exactly 10 months before the predicted Mayan apocalypse) I received around 3000 custom decks of cards. That is 760 lbs. of playing cards. The next day I began shipping them out. These have been well received internationally. Besides the regular Doomsday Deck, I also had several uncut sheets made and sent to me, as well as 500 of a special edition version of the deck with silver-gilt edges. I expect to sell out of all of these before the end of March.

Anticipating this I have re-ordered the decks which will only be slightly different with what is called a “magic finish” and a “red seal” on the box so I’ll know that they were from the second run.

Plus I am designing another deck of cards that I am keeping hush-hush for now!

Happy New Year! This promises to be another great year. Last year I had many fruitful projects and tours and this year looks like things will be just as good or better. On New Years Day my wife and I and some friends had a nice lunch with lots of black-eyed peas as is tradition. I am not superstitious, because it is bad luck to be so.

This month my DVD SWEET has been getting great online (seen below) reviews and from magazines like Genii and Magic. The Doomsday Deck project is running smoothly and the deck will arrive next month from the United States Playing Card Company. I have already sold over half of the first run!

I’m currently lining up a small tour of the New England states. I performed lots of shows this month. I’m currently working on another deck project that I think will go over really BIG. I’m booking flights for more overseas trips. I’m slowly adding bits of business to my upcoming book Bamboozlers Three. I just sent off the revisions for my out of print book Bamboozlers One so that it can be reprinted.

I befriended Tommy Thomas, the son of one of my boyhood heroes Titanic Thompson and learned a great deal more about Ty and Tommy’s colorful “gambling lives”. Tommy is just as interesting as his father was and now has a ministry on TV. Tommy blew my mind with a deck of cards and then I returned the favor. I’m looking forward to meeting with Tommy again and meeting more of Ty’s family. I also drove to East Texas to spend the day with my aunt and grand-father for their birthdays.

To top off the month my wife and friends the Trippis took a little vacation to New Orleans. I visited many so-called Voodoo Shops, which most were tourist traps (like the one shown in the pic on the left) but I did ultimately find the real deal. If you are in New Orleans “nawlins” and want to see the real thing then visit the Voodoo Spiritual Temple on N. Rampart St. and ask for Priestess Miriam Chamani better known as the “Queen Mother”.